


Unexpected

by VisionaryGalaxy



Series: A Thousand Futures of Me and You [141]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Boys In Love, Don't copy to another site, Fluff and Angst, Idiots in Love, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Short & Sweet, Tony Stark Has A Heart, accidental proposal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-24
Updated: 2019-05-24
Packaged: 2020-03-13 10:49:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,115
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18939421
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VisionaryGalaxy/pseuds/VisionaryGalaxy
Summary: "You were always by my side."





	Unexpected

   “You were always beside me.”

   Tony looked up from where he had been signing away at the documents for the new Stark Industry launch in three months time. He stared at his lover, who had taken up residence on the couch, with a book in hand, and a faraway gaze.

   He hadn’t moved but it seemed as though he were looking straight through Tony, who felt a prickle of unease move over his scalp at the distant confusion in his expression, “Stephen?” he was quiet, not wanting to startle the man from the trance he appeared to be in.

   Levi, who had made a home on the stupid coat hanger Pep insisted he needed, perked at his tone. It floated for a moment as though in contemplation before fluttering over to its master and settling around his shoulders and that only served to make Tony even more weary. The Cloak only did that when it thought Stephen was vulnerable in some way and the idea that his office was about to become the home of some new interdimensional beast, had his hand twitching toward the reactor on his chest.

   “I’m gonna need you answer me, Steph. You’re doing that thing where you freak me out,” Tony tried again, pushing away from his desk a bit.

   “You were always there,” he repeated, and Tony really didn’t like whatever was going on here.

   He stood slowly, trying not to make any sudden movements and rounded his desk with no problem. Stephen continued to look past him, so he put himself directly in his line of sight and approached bit by bit.

   Except, as he got closer, he stilled, eyes locked on the Eye of Agomotto, currently emitting a thin ethereal green mist that snaked its way around his lover. Tony, swallowed thickly, willed himself not to remember the last time he’d seen it and found himself speaking with more urgency, “Stephen, I need you to snap out of it right now. Please.”

   Something about his tone must have done it because suddenly Stephen blinked, those stormy eyes settling on him firmly and Tony didn’t bother trying to hide his relief. The green was quickly retreating, and Stephen was frowning at him like he was still a puzzle to be solved, “why?” he whispered.

   Tony took that as his cue to move forward without fear of magical incident and found himself kneeling in front of his lover in a heartbeat, reaching out to take his trembling hands, “what the hell was that? Are you alright?”

   Stephen still seemed out of it, looking down on him with a hazy kind of confusion, “I…I was just checking…the futures I saw or…the past now I suppose.”

   Tony stared at him for a long moment, trying to understand what he was saying. It took him a second, being a genius and all but when it clicked icy fear shot through him. He met Stephen’s gaze in disbelief, “you didn’t…. why Stephen? You said it was too much for your mind to handle, why would you be so stupid?”

   That caused a reaction, Stephen’s eyes coming to life finally, “excuse me?”

   It was rude and less then tactful, but Tony was scared damn it. Stephen had told him many times how difficult it was for his mind to process everything he had seen on Titan, was witness to the nightmares that still haunted him to this day, watched him check out more then once as he relived them.

   “Why?” he repeated, unable to help himself from reaching up to grip Stephen’s face, eyes running over him with the need to reassure himself.

   Stephen’s own trembling fingers wrapped around his wrists, so calm and collected that it was maddening, “I had to know,” he said simply.

   Tony sat back on his heels, looking up at him helplessly, “know what?”

   To his shock, a blush bloomed on Stephen’s cheeks, those eyes dancing toward the windows. Tony shook his head, racking his mind in attempt to figure out why Stephen would do something so stupid.

_You were always by my side._

   “You can’t be serious,” he deadpanned, unable to choose between anger or incredulity.

   Stephen pursed his lips, glancing back at him, “I wanted to know. In every future I gazed into you were always by my side, whether it be Titan or afterwards in the aftermath. Only extreme circumstances made it change, like death or Peter. I was trying to understand why.”

   Tony worked his jaw before smacking the man’s knee hard and making him frown, “you could have just asked me you idiot.”

   Stephen shook his head, “you don’t know every version of you, so you couldn’t have-”

   Tony held up his hand with five fingers spread, “there are only five reasons why I never left your side in these futures and this one,” he began dropping one with each he listed off. “You had the stone so made sense to protect you, which of course you fucked me over with anyway, but I’ve forgiven that. Two, you’re really fucking hot and your snarky attitude only made you more attractive. Three, post-snap you left me in a world confusion, and I needed answers without you running away again. Four, I owed you my life and I was ready to marry you even before I brought you back from the ashes. Five, you are a scientific anomaly along with your sorcerer buddies and I wanted to keep you all as lab rats which meant gaining your trust first.”

   Tony smiled wanly at his lover, only to find Stephen staring at him with wide-startled eyes, “what?”

   “You…were ready to marry me?”

   Tony blinked at the shock colouring his tone, “well yeah, obviously.”

   “You didn’t know me,” Stephen said, shaking his head.

   “I knew you were a smartass, rude, powerful, witty, really just kept checking all my boxes-” Tony paused, frowning as he looked up at Stephen’s glittering eyes before realizing he was being played. “Hey! That doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten that what you just did was stupid, and reckless, and completely-”

   “I love you.”

   Tony narrowed his eyes, “that doesn’t-”

   “And yes, I’ll marry you.”

   Tony froze, “I…you…what?”

   Stephen smiled, tilting his head a little, “I said I’ll marry you.”

   His head was spinning, and he wasn’t all together sure he wouldn’t pass out but Tony found himself surging forward all the same and pressing a hard kiss to Stephen’s lips, hands twisting in his hair and tugging him closer. His lover chuckled against his lips and Tony decided he really didn’t care about how reckless he had just been, though that wouldn’t stop him from telling Wong on him.


End file.
